Philip Hamburger Boeken

Focusing on Washington inaugurations from FDR to Clinton, Hamburger presents a unique collection of essays that capture the significance and atmosphere of these historic events. Through his distinctive lens, he explores the political and cultural implications of each inauguration, offering insights into the evolving nature of American democracy. This compilation not only highlights the ceremonies themselves but also reflects on the broader societal changes that accompany each new presidential term.

Hamburger argues that separation of church and state has no historical foundation in the First Amendment and shows that eighteenth-century Americans almost never invoked this principle. Although Jefferson and others retrospectively claimed a First Amendment basis for separation, it became part of American constitutional law only much later.

Government's use of largess to secure consent to conditions all too often serves as an illicit pathway of power. This mode of control is part of the contemporary reality of American governance, and it therefore needs to be recognized alongside more familiar sorts of power, such as rule through law and administrative power.